"What the hell is Andrew doing in your house? I thought you said he gave it to you?"
"He did. He's not supposed to be here." Rissa shoves the door open angrily and hops out before I can stop her.
Fuck. I grab my cane and follow her out. There's no way in hell I'm leaving her alone with him. She's mine now and it's time Carrington accepts it.
They're so busy arguing that they don't even notice when I walk up.
"Rissa, come on. You can just stay with me tonight."
Andrew looks over at me and when recognition dawns, his face twists into a sneer. "Marshall. I knew it."
Rissa is so angry that she's shaking. "It's none of your business, Andy. You aren't supposed to be here. That was our deal."
Andrew grits his teeth and looks over at me again. "It didn't take you long to replace me, did it? You fucking slut. I knew there was someone else."
The rage in his voice triggers something in me. The way he's looking at her and talking to her makes me want to punch him in the throat. Especially since Rissa doesn't look at all surprised by the way he's acting. I don't care if he's pissed that I'm here or not. He'd better not ever talk to her like that in front of me.
"Yeah, there's someone else. You didn't deserve her anyway and we both know it. Now back away from her." My hand tightens on the head of my cane and his eyes are drawn to it.
"What happened to you?" I can tell he's trying to estimate just how much of a threat I am with a bad leg.
I lift the cane and swing it around once. He has to take a step back to avoid getting nailed in the face. "War happened to me."
Our eyes meet and something in my face must let him know that a bad leg isn't going to save him from the beat down the rest of me would give him.
When his eyes come back to mine, I smile. He glances over at Rissa. She's moved behind me.
I hold out my hand to her. "Go back and sit in the car with Jonah, angel. I'll be there in a minute."
As she walks back down the driveway, Jonah steps out and opens the door for her. Andrew watches with rage filled eyes and then he looks back at me. Then his eyes dart back over to the Bentley at the curb.
Yeah, I'm here and I've got money too.
"Rissa told me that you'd given her the house as an incentive not to talk about you to the press. But hear me now, I have no such incentive. And if I see you near her again, talking will be the least of what I'll do to you."
"You're trash. You've always been trash and I don't know what you've gotten into lately," he gestures at the car, "but you'll still be trash when that finally runs out. Rissa knows that and I do too."
I chuckle. "What I'm into? It's called having a wealthy father with a guilt complex. I guess you'd know all about that. And it'll be hard for me to run out of billions but I'll certainly give it a try. Maybe I'll start by buying the biggest engagement ring out there and putting it on Rissa's finger. Either way, stay away from her."
I turn and walk down the drive. Jonah holds the door open so I can climb in next to Rissa. When we pull off, Andrew is still standing out front staring at us.
Rissa turns to me. "Why did you tell him that? That there was someone else. Now he'll think that we're … It'll only make things worse. He'll never leave now."
"It doesn't matter if he does because I wouldn't let you go back there anyway. The man is obsessed with you. Not that I can blame him since I am, too. We have a lot more in common than I would have ever thought."
She lets out a sigh. It sounds so defeated that it hits me right in the middle of the chest. "Don't say that. You are nothing like Andrew."
"It's true. Not that I want to claim anything in common with that bastard but I understand exactly what's going on here. I know what it's like to be consumed by thoughts of you and because I do, I can't let you go back to that house. There's a reason he told you to stay there and it's not just to keep you quiet. It's to keep you under his control."
"So now I'm going to stay at your house and be under your control?" Her eyes flash in the dim lights of the streetlamps as we travel over the quiet streets.
"Haven't you learned by now that if there's anyone in control between the two of us, it isn't me? You have the reins here, Rissa. You always have."
She trembles as she absorbs my words. I pull her closer and she tucks into my chest burying her face into my shirt. I run a hand up and down her back, until her shivers stop. After a few minutes, she lets out a soft sigh and I look down to see that she's asleep.
"I told him all that angel, because it's true. You are mine now." I look out the window, allowing the words to resonate in my soul as I speak them out loud. "And I'll never let you go."
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